At a Watch Boutique in Vegas 

Swimming with the lone Dolphin  

ISKCON Temple,Vancouver,BC 

I'm on Equal

Watched the much awaited Yash Chopra's movie "Veer Zaara" this weekend.What a movie....the masala algortihm that has made us all fall heads over heals with Bollywood strikes again.

I met a Sardarji at the box office queue.He said he is there 'coz his relatives in India asked him to watch this superhit dhaansu dhamaka.I was there 'coz I had a complementary tkt and had to buy one more.

Praaji was right.Who's Who of Bollywood,haunting music, ohh so colorful wardrobe,lush green fields ,tulip meadows ......helped me sail from Kabhie Kabhie ...to Silsila and right to Veer Zaara.There is so much sugar in the movie that I'll stay on 'Equal' the whole week.

Only complaint, it has a lame ending.The Magnum Opus falters at the climax.King Khan as usual was busy being (playing) himself .Beejee ( Preity Zinta ) acted well,burdened & camoflagued behind the designer drapery,but the real superstar is the music by late Madanmohan.

Snowclad Sierra Peaks 

Lake Tahoe  

What about me

Results are in . Its sure "W" is going to be back in the Oval Office. I knew it all along ..I had that feeling when I registered to vote .Perhaps that is the reason I registered for the first time to vote.Drug Companies pumped in the moolah 'coz they were fighting against govt price control..Healthcare companies and Oil companies were interested for obvious reasons...

I just got pumped up by listening to a fat grumpy guy who came to my campus and addressed a bunch of us.

I voted for a pack of noodles and underwear .......What about me ..... I'm going back to my dorm and will play Grand Theft Auto till 2008.

Happy Halloween

Dark Clouds over Carmel on Halloween

Something is Cooking ...

As if the VHP ,Bajrang Dal were not enough for the ownership,now the Srilankan Parliament has also jumped in the ring.

Recently Srilankan Parliament was debating if Ram & Ravana were Tamil or Sinhalese .Sinhalese consider themselves descendants of Ravana and Tamils also consider Ravana to be a Tamil Hero.The speaker of the house didn't allow further discussions 'coz he himself identified Ravana as Sinhalese king in 1980 speech.

I wonder why the discussions on Ram and Ravana have taken the front seat in Parliamentary debate . I smell elections ....

Peacekeeper

My peacekeeper the unshaven clad in an off white cotton dhoti sometime with a shawl sometime without it. He is like the black cat commando shadowing a VVIP. You cannot meet this VVIP until he wants you to at the same time he is as alert and agile so that no one harms his master.

He is our pujari at the local hindu temple.He is my saviour.On my request he will perform an 'Abhishek' . To all the nastiks .. Abhishek is like Fedex Priorty overnite. Charges may vary from $ 21 to $ 51.Nobody knows what punditji says or communicates with my deity,but people say it works.

Punditji has gone hi-tech recently,also I have seen his popularity ( business) growing in last couple of years. As he sits in front of the ..... offering prasad only if he likes...to the bhaktagans ..putting tilaks and performing abhisheks all while he is on phone with some bhakt in distress fixing time for a weekend puja.

I have also seen him reading palms and foretelling destinies right in front of the destiny creator. I have seen the pundit family swell in last couple of years ...the almighty is now better protected from all the evil doers . Don't even try to break the security cover between them and HIM. First you'll get the stare... than no prasad and than..... you'll be ashamed for your faith brought you there.

It seems the guy who was to broker a deal between me and God is busy closing deals for himself.
He is a pujari,astrologer,realtor and a property manager too. The human in service of 'Sahastrabaahu' has become a 'Sahastrabaahu' himself.

Ask the Tuskers

CNN repoted today " Police kills Indian Robin Hood". Robinhood ? Its like reporting a crime in Bosnia from a resort in Bermuda.

His infamy was well deserved ..... 120 murders,88000 lbs of smuggled sandalwood and killing more than 2000 tuskers ..Munuswamy Veerappan Gounder a Robinhod ? For whom ? Ask Jumbo , Dumbo.

...& more pumpkins  

Workoholics

There is this colleague from the other office . He comes before me and leaves for home after I have ( Don't ask me when I leave ...). During the daytime he is working with the US team and in the night the offshore team.I have always wondered Is he a workoholic? Is he a Democrat ? Is he an independent ? Don't ask me why he is not a Republican ....I have never met this guy, but I speak to him often ,all the time. We are in the same project team.

I have a neighbor. His parking spot is just next to where I park my Humvee....whom 'm I kidding its just a Camry with a war torn look . We live in the same building on the same floor. I have always seen the parking space vacant even on weekends. I have been thinking that the apartment is vacant for last one year.

I just got a chance to meet this guy. No prizes for getting it right .......

Sun setting on the Pacific  

View from Berkeley Marina  

Last Comic Standing

www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A13343-2004Oct6.html

More Pumpkins .. 

Love Thy Neighbor...

At a conference Bill Gates recently said US should not be concerned of India and China's growing economies.Not sure why he said that these are definitely the two coutries where people don't prefer 'buying' his Windows.Some recent developments reaffirm that job outsourcing is not that a big deal but in turn will yield higher profits for corporations and job opportunities for population in Asia and America.Some basic facts have revolutionised trade dynamics and changing the operations and strategies of how multinationals function.Not only US but the world economy is benefitting a lot from the recent growth in these two countries.

United States China trade is worth 130 billion dollars a year.Major Chinese export not being software but soyabean.

AIG was formed in Shanghai in 1919 .Operations in India and China will be driving future growth of AIG.General Motors now gets about third of its profit from China.The no 1 car seller in China is Volkswagen.

Intel commands 84% and AMD 16% of China's microprocessor market.12% of Intel revenue comes from China.US market for PC will have a projected growth of only 5% ,corresponding figure for India and China is approximately 20%.Not to mention Chinese population will be buying 3 million digital cameras this years, other asians 5.2 million.

China has 230 million cell phone users (20% of the world cell phone users are in China) and India has only 18 million , I guess they all need Motorola,Ericssion or Nokia handsets.Sales of Motorola mobile phones has increased in India by 200%.Indians are also more willing to take on debt. In the past two years, the number of new credit cards issued has jumped 25% annually, and new mortgages 35%. Five years ago, the average age of a Citibank mortgage holder in India was 41; now it's 28.

According to a recent study, India's youth has more than 10 billion dollars of cash to burn.High earners in India are spending $ 2000 per year on shopping and eating out (India's per capita income is only $ 470).No doubt,Hooters is opening six outlets in India by 2005.Food giant McDonald's has 48 stores in India, 60% of them built in the past 18 months. The outlets see on average 3,000 customers a day, placing the units in the company's top 10%.China is consuming 50% of world's Pork production.A lot is also being spent on fashion & footwear .Sales of Reebok India footwear are growing at 30% a year.

The growth spurt in these Asian Goliaths is not only booming the world economy but also supporting each other a lot. With the declining local consumption and increased capacities India is now one of the biggest steel exporter to China.

As these two most populous nation change the competition in services and manufacturing for ever,there are still their own demons to be fought poverty,AIDS,illiteracy,communal tensions are all time high. Till the prosperity percolates to grassroots,any achievement won't matter.

Little Shyam and Xiang both don't go to primary school,they work to compensate for their family income.Till both have their childhoods back no free trade treaty, no technology will be worth it.

We're Back

 


October is PUMPKIN MONTH.Pumpkins and more pumpkin....

Milestone...

'Freedom & Democracy are on the march.'

'Saddam is sitting on three fist of world's oil and is armed with WMDs.'

God bless C-SPAN. I was watching the recording of Presidential debate.It was year 1992 and these words were from Bush Sr. The location was Richmond,VA.

I'm 350 yrs old today  

Happy at 350

I'm 350 years old today.Not everybody is happy after turning 30.I'm tentimes past that,still standing tall.Witness to the saga of love & romance,regime changes,freedom struggle and independence around me nothing much has changed since than.

My walls now pale but the foundation of love still glitters.I never knew I'll be a symbol of love across the universe ...not till the Guinness came and than I was the seventh wonder.I did hear about the brewing controversy that 350th anniversary celebrations are delayed by a decade 'coz someone in the government didn't get the dates right...I'm not surprised.

I'm elated to welcome more than 3 million guests a year for Concerts & Mahotsavas.Also happy to be in picture with Prince Charles Lady Di,Bill & Hillary and ofcourse our very own Ramprasad & Rukmani Chaurasia.

Today as I turn 350, I just want to be symbol of immortal love or as Tagore once said 'tear in the face of eternity'.What I definitely don't want is being a teaser to any husband on this earth.

The only thing I regret is the blinding of Ustad Ahmed, the very eyes that envisioned me.

Buffaloes at Wichita Mountains,OK

Wichita Mountains Animal Refuge,OK 

Evening at Union Square,San Francisco 

To boldly go where no man has gone before....

"Ladies and Gentleman this is your Captain speaking ..I apologise the delay in the take off there are still some hutments on the runway I'll try to manouver around as we try to take off. The tarmac is still used as a cowshade ,I also apologise if you had to move through cattle herds to get in the plane."

Few minutes later ......

"I'll request you to not use the seatbelts.....due to unfavorable conditions in the sky our 747 will take this journey by road.All the passengers are eligible for 50% discount on their next flight....if they choose to make one...."

Iraq's national carrier Iraqi Airways resumed international flights today after a gap of fourteen years.Out of fleet of sixteen airplanes only one is operable.

Iraqi Airways says its offices have already sold dozens of tickets, but at prices the majority cannot afford. A return ticket to Damascus would cost $600, and a return to Amman $750. The same trip by road costs about $40.

All the return flights to Iraq will be free.

Please like me ...I'm a Billionaire

I have started liking reality television.I love shows where some dudes make an ass of themselves to get a rose or some girls rolling tears for a made for TV bachelor. I like it when a young man gives up his love to get a cheque of one million dollar only to discover that it was only for one dollar and not what it appeared in the begining of the show . Lets leave that here ...its far more complex than that ....I'm glued to the shows where some people are stuffed in a TV home and than captured live for guilty pleasure of millions of audience and how about rich heiress with no life at all living a simple life ....I also like some body builders eat horse's rectum and live spiders.

And its not all about money. Why would billionaires like Mark Cuban and Donald Trump ask contestants to be a part of their circus and reendorse their egos.

My suggestion to both ..stop firing these guys from your show . They keep a better trimmed grass on their lawns than you keep your hair..yes...I'm talking about Mark and for the Trumpster...somebody advise him ,its not hygenic to carry a blow dried blonde racoon on head.

Flavors

That's my movie of the month.Very few movies have recently made me laugh so hard .Even though its a sidesplitting comedy it couldn't have been more close to reality.

Indian software consulting companies,software engineers on bench,telemarketers never looked so funny.

There have been a lot of movies on Desis in America but this one truly deserves all the praise and a green card.

Best Sellers - Fall 2004

Paris Hilton has launched her jewelery line and a new book this fall.Inspired, some other celebrties too got busy with their projects.

Celebrity books competing for ranks in the best sellers list this fall are :

Revised Rapidex English Speaking Course By Navjyot Singh Sidhu
(Preface by Kapil Dev)

Prisnor of Azkaban- Before and After By Martha Stewart

My life and Carbs By Bill Clinton

Googlies and Bouncers By Sergey Brin & Larry Page

How I'll kill the Mocking Bird By Manmohan Singh

The year of Jackass and other predictions for 2005 By Laloo Prasad Yadav

First Grader's Assignment

Click to enlarge  

We just don't sell Lumber ....

Fifty Home Depot employees participated in Athens Olympics.They brought home five Gold,two Silver and three Bronze medals.

If Home Depot was a country( I guess it already is...)they would have ranked 21st in the list of 202 nations.A rank below Canada and 42 above India.

Things I learnt....

I slept for two hrs everyday for last two weeks to be a part of the Olympics,watching it on NBC.That was my triathlon. Staying awake,staying awake at commute and staying awake at work.

Believe me, its difficult to concentrate the next day if you watch Archers shooting the whole night.

As always there were outstanding athletes awarded for their prowess and skill and some important things that I learnt from them .

Michael Phelps - You can look like a Java programmer and still win a few golds.

Raza Zehad - If this guy can lift 450 lbs with a smile on his face , I should stop cribbing about carrying a bread loaf and a milk carton to second floor.

Swetlana Khorkina - Its ok to bitch,if things don't go your way.

Mohini Bhardwaj - You have to have Pam Anderson by your side to be succesful.

Paul Hamme - If you get something by luck,hold on to it so tight that people think twice even before asking what it is.

Major Rajyavardhan Rathore - If you are chosen by the destiny to give a reason to 100 million people to celebrate be the one and earn some mulla on the way.

Misty May - Watching TV for long hrs won't hurt anyone anymore.

Its all over now.I am back at work with a good rest and sleep on the weekend.Wish I was an Olympic announcer and could go to work once every four years.

Universal Rhythm

Universal Rhythm,Musicians assemble in Santa Cruz 

Kare Koi Bhare Koi ....

July payslip of all Delhi University employees has a curious item under 'deductions'. It says: Sexual Harrassment: Rs 10.

It turns out that Rs 10 will now be deducted annually from DU salaries to fund the functioning of DU's harassment complaint committees and the implementation of the university's policy against sexual harassment.

I'm still laughing after reading the news ....I'll finish the post later .....

Chocolat

Ghirardelli Square,San Francisco 

Pier 39,San Francisco 

Please bear with me

A black bear was found passed out at a campground in Washington state recently after guzzling down three dozen cans of a local beer at a Seattle campground.

It turns out the bear was a bit of a beer sophisticate. He tried a mass-market Busch beer, but switched to Rainier Beer, a local ale, and stuck with it for his drinking binge.

Wildlife agents chased the bear away, but it returned the next day.

They set a trap using as bait some doughnuts, honey and "two cans of Rainier Beer". It worked, and the bear was captured for relocation.

PETA ...action alert ...this is just an act of cruelty catching a bear with beer and doughnuts.....even humans will relocate with this bait.

Lights,Camera...Inaction

I wonder if I'll see enough of it. Everytime I guess this is it and our beloved politicians take up the challenge and raise the bar.This time Maharashtra Governor took the honors.

On August 6, gates of Governor house were opened for Muhurat of three bollywood movies. A Dandiya was shot in the Jal Sabaghrah where state functions and swearing in ceremonies are held.This time too it was for a "swearing " ceremony of a different kind.

Lalu Yadav step aside here comes a new king of theatrics.....

Happy Independence Day

Tricolor 

Saare Jahan Se Accha .....

Bay area Indians organised a two day event this weekend to celebrate 58th India Independence Day.

Patriotism kicks in the most on 15th August and 26th January. When I came to know of the Independence Mela, I slipped in my white Kurta Pyjama and was ready to be the Indian again,I left back home.

There were a few good surprises at the function. I had to pay to celebrate my independence.There was an entry ticket.The Mela was more of a congregation of Realtors,Insurance Agents and Food stalls from local eateries.There was also a job fair for positions in India.A cultural program had kids dancing to the tunes of 'Kaanta Lagaa..' to 'Kesaria hain roop mahro...'. I was still roaming in the Mela to celebrate my independence.I was on the lookout for a Neta dressed in Khadi and a Topi giving a long loud speech at some corner but he was not there.I was also looking for a band belting out Saare Jahan se Accha ....even it was not there.Was it all about feasting on Chicken Tikka and Chola Bhatura with one hand and holding the tricolor in other?

I guess if not Indians,NRIs certainely have found an India where the head is held high and mind is without fear ...

I'm going to the Mela again tomorrow and filling out some applications for jobs in India.

Left is Right

Today is Left-handers Day. It started in 1976 when Left Handers International started celebrating August 13 as Left-Handers Day. It is estimated that 15% of world's population is left handed.

As a Southpaw only advantage I find is giving a butterfly to an aggressive driver on the road,other than that I find Lefties to be on the loosing side of ergonomics.

No one knows for sure why some people are left handers.A theory suggesting some link to the mystery is the brain being "cross-wired." The left hemisphere controls the right-handed side of the body and vice-versa. And hand dominance is connected with brain dominance on the opposite side. Which is why one is correct while saying that only left-handers are in their right minds!

Mensa,the elite club with people with high IQ score as its member,reports nearly 20 per cent of its members being left-handed.

As far as I am concerned I just feel right in the clubs of lefties.The club graced by Mahatma Gandhi to Queen Elizabeth,Bill Gates to Bill Clinton,Julia Roberts to Nicole Kidman,Babe Ruth to Ayrton Senna,Sourav Ganguly to Gary Sobers,Amitabh Bachan to Abhishek Bachan,Henry Ford to Gerald Ford,David Letterman to Jay Leno ..and did I mention Jack the Ripper......the list goes on and on ....I'm just happy to type it with both hands.

Vital Statistics

The US has firmly rejected India's request to exempt ministers and MPs on a personal visit to that country from biometric registration that requires them to be fingerprinted and digitally photographed.

So next time there is a scam ,someone is charged with looting of public funds........you know where to look for the biometric records.

Iron Chef

The title sounds out of place does'nt it ?

Our beloved Bachelor president has ordered for a renovation of 74 yr old Rashtrapati bhavan's kitchen and also ordered for a trendy uniforms for the kitchen staff.

Intriguing fact is a bachelor in love with the kitchen. Not only does the President reviews the Menu but also takes personal interest in changing tableclothes in the banquet hall.

The kitchen will now boast of the latest equipments from Williamson Sonoma and other hi-tech gadgets for the renowned bakery.The staff will wear black'n'white check trousers,white shirts and knotted ties. Beat that Oberoi ...

Butlers and cooks are also surfing the net to come up with latest epicurian delights.

Indians,get ready for a new genre of hot and spicy recipes like 'Trishul Do Pyaza', 'Agni Masala' & 'Chilly Nag'.

Maharaja grounds Maharanis

Air India is denying rumors that it wants overweight airhostesses to be grounded.Airhostess "union" calls it a sexist move .

When I'm flying Air India I'm buying ticket to a circus.I'm gearing up for a 24 hr flight with a cranky cabin crew ,clogged toilets and leaky overhead compartments.If I want to have a comfortable flight I'll fly Virgin Air.If I want to have runway models as my stewardesses ,I'll fly Jet Air. Pls don't take the Air India experience away from me . This is the only Jetliner that treats me like a Maharaja .

Until and unless the weight is not increasing the GVW (Gross Vehicle Weight) and becomes a safety issue ,I have no problems in getting those stares from Mrs Chaturvedi on asking for a hot towel.I know its better than getting my drinks from Gutka chewing Mr. Kesri.

Evening at Muirwoods

8/1/2004 

Oxford Shabdkosh

Words like 'filmi', 'swadeshi', 'bhelpuri' and 'jhuggi'have found their way to the world-renowned Oxford Dictionary.

Other words finding their place in the dictionary are 'chutney', 'bandana', 'cheetah', 'cummerbund', 'videshi', 'bhelpuri', 'pukka', 'sahib','bundobust' and 'mohalla'.

Words like 'badmash', 'hawala', 'history-sheeter', 'bandh', 'dhaba' and 'chamcha', have also obtained respectability due to their inclusion in the dictionary.

The number of Indian words making entry into the dictionary has gone up to 700.Oxford has included 80 Indian words in its 11th Edition of the Concise Dictionary.

My recommendation for the 12th Edition "AAIYLAA" (Oh my GOD).

Word of the Day

"Shove It" .

Pronunciation: 'sh&v
Function: verb
Inflected Form(s): shoved; shov·ing
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English scufan to thrust away; akin to Old High German scioban to push and probably to Lithuanian skubti to hurry

Transitive senses
1 : to push along
2 : to push or put in a rough, careless, or hasty manner

First lady in waiting was caught on tape using this word with a journalist. I too have used this word often,with a certain kind of people.It makes you feel powerful.It relieves stress too.

There are bigger things happening in the world to be covered by the press than to put a microscope on a fitting reply from a sixty year old.

All those who don't agree can .......

Lazy Sunday Afternoon

7/25/2004 

Pandu Hawaldar

Police Dept across India are outsourcing peripheral responsibilities to private companies . Transporting convicts from jail to courts,serving court summons etc.

I guess the common man is not ready for that.The lathi wielding Pandu Hawaldar is part of Indian life as is the milkman and the postman.

Senior Officers in Police Dept should rethink the decision of what services to be outsourced .Let the transportation,serving court summons,verifying address for issuing passport (main source of revenue) remain with the police and all the other activities like maintaining law and order,solving homicides should be outsourced.How about outsourcing customer service to privately held companies?

The Tobacco chewing,potbellied,cycle riding Pandu Hawaldar is a multi talented superhuman.Lodging FIRs,catching underage kids driving mopeds without a license,controlling traffic,providing security cover to netas,arranging free cinema and concert tickets for Saab's baba log these are all in a day's job for Pandu.He is a superhero. His best weapon for any occasion is a Lathi and the ride is a Hero Cycle.

Lets give overworked Pandu Hawaldar some rest....

The Food Network

Yes,that's my wife's newfound love. She is a vegetarian but loves to watch non-vegetarian cooking shows all the times.She's an expert at Chicken Marsala, Masala Chicken and from shrimps to lobsters.

I wonder what our grandmothers did to hone their culinary skills ? Was there an Emeril to teach them how to cook watermellon chicken while some dudes played music in the background ? Was there a dish for every occasion or a George Foreman Grill to take out the extra fat from the steak.

This obsession with food has to stop somewhere. How many permutations can Emeril come up with , there are only so many thing you can eat with so many other things ...Can he cook Lamb in Pepsi .. I guess not .

After food network what's next, a Wine Channel ...a Dessert network ...

If Yan can cook, so can you folks...you don't need television to teach you that.I hope my wife doesn't start experimenting with the network recepies.I love her cooking.

Sunset at Carmel

Sunset at Carmel 

MAQBOOL

After a long time ,
saw a movie which is a must see piece of art ,well written and acted .
Maqbool has so many seasoned actors to give it a classic status .
Wonderful haunting music and crisp dialogues.

It was a relief to see a movie where the hero is not introduced with a song and 164 drums in the background.Its not about two bros getting separated in a mela nor about
a family leaving in NY suburb ,wearing DKNY and breaking into songs whenver they can.

I'm not going all Roger Ebert on this movie but I'll give this movie a Limca ,Two Thumbs Up and four pelvic thrusting dancers in the background.

Fitness Facts

There are variety of people you see and avoid meeting at the Gym .

- People pretending to exercise.

- People falling from treadmill while watching Seinfield reruns.

- People dripping like a sweat fountain.

- People smelling like sweat fountains , not necessarily dripping like one .

- People pedalling so hard ,as if they are chasing Lance Armstrong,only to find he is not there .

- Nerds programming the treadmill as if its an XBox .

- People trying out different machines,just trying out.

- Single men who are there for obvious reasons.

- Married women who are there for obvious reasons .

- Grand mothers who are there for no reason .

WMD

In a recent press conference, Mr Tony Blair emphasised there a possibility that the WMDs may never be found in Iraq .............Mr Blair try using GOOGLE.

At work on Friday afternoon

Mailboxes etc .

What's up with the latest trend of providing 100 MB to 1 GB mailboxes ....Who needs 1GB of space to store emails ? Who gets heaps of emails ? No one.

But yes there some people who are happy,Spammers. So start sending me all the junk you can ... Alert for all the guys at mortgage cos to credit card companies, cross border drug suppliers to baby diapers company ,Phoenix University to DeVry ,you are welocome to spam me as much as you can . I won't care to delete or block your address anymore .Very soon users will have 20 to 50 GB and on and on ... No one will need Public Storage services any more. Your inbox can store everything that you cannot sell or dispose of. Old couches ,
furniture, the junk you bought from Hobby shop and costumes you wore to Star Trek convention.

I wonder will my inbox be ever big enough ...big enough to live ...where I can live peacefully with my emails........... without spam .

Its down to Charisma...

Media is all gung-ho about how handsome,charismatic the V.P in waiting is ....time for current VP to get an Extreme Makeover.

....It's back

People blamed loss of jobs to outsourcing but from the WSJ to The Economist enough paper and ink has been wasted on evaluating job loss vis a vis outsourcing. There will still be few denials to the fact that the Michael Jordan Nike endorsement deal exceeded total wages of the Nike's outsourced labor worldwide.

With massive layoffs in the silicon valley, things got so bad that the card swapping machines at checkout counters were asking customers to punch in their employers name and not the zip code.

Economy is on the rebound . People are finding jobs , there are more cars on the roads , highways are jammed , malls are crowded , restaurants are packed . Does that mean a better economy brings more problem for the common man ...?

Pavitra Prabhakar

Only thing I feared the most has happened. Spiderman goes Desi ...he'll be called Pavitra Prabhakar who roams around in a Dhoti Kurta and tears into his Spidy costume when fighting his enemies .Believe me ..removing Dhoti kurta while on the run will be his one of the most difficult challenge .

I guess, Manjri Jayant Wadekar (MJ) will be the new Indian love for Spiderman . Did I mention Indian Spidy works for a Tabloid "Saamna" (ShivSena mouthpiece)in a Mumbai Suburb and its anybody's guess who will play his boss Mr Jameson ,a lookalike of Baal Thakre.

Sister Cities

So San Jose has a sister city , Pune ( India) , demographically Pune's composition is very similar to San Jose ...lot of South Asians and the I.T hub of Western India.

Very soon a San Jose park is going to have a Shivaji statue and probably a park in Pune will have a bust of Abraham Lincoln or Bill Clinton ..

The nature of problems faced by both the cities are similar like pollution ,garbage disposal and shortage of water ...... both cities can do with a little less technology .

India Inc in Bollywood

India Inc is investing in movies..that gives totally a new flavor to what Bollywood always stood for .....

What I am getting ready to see is Bipasha Basu dancing in the rain in a Business suit ( that'll hurt some friends deep ) jargons like acquisitions ,mergers,balance sheets,dropping out Salman Khan's mouth while he is addressing a Board meeting in a Baniyan or even without it .

Now the villain ...as dramatic and as loaded with all vulgar one liners not kidnapping the heroin this time for a ransom but trying to acquire Salman Khan's Co's stocks on Etrade.

... I cannot wait to see next movies made by Tatas or Birlas .....

On the other side of yellow line

Bay area does something to you .... if you are in San Francisco you turn vegetarian, humanitarian ,you start buying organic food for your pets ,environmentalist and what not ...if you are in SanJose you turn into a robot you talk with fixed no of syllables on technology and stocks.Your idea of taking a break is going to friends place for dinner and sadly your friend has the same idea for an outing.This is not very different from Indore( India), the town where I was born ,raised and had my education . A town so small that its zip code could have been a fraction.

With not many places to visit our idea of socials and get togethers was restricted to dinners and lunches . People are friendly here too but there in my home town you can address any bro as " bhiyaow' and he will gladly reciprocate the gesture.A town which had overincreasing population of people coming from all over the places to settle in.

We had distorted models of SUV lookalikes as mode of public transport. Kudos to the automobile company which designed and sold those obnoxious smoke emittng "Tempos".My town also had a train that covered 20 Kms in one hr for intercity transport,our version of light rail.

As Danny Devito in Hollywood I still believe Amol Palekar was one of the biggest superstar Bollywood ever had . I still work for a company that has more VPs than employees.I still look for a diner serving authentic Indian food suiting my taste buds but cannot find one . I still look for cops who don't pull up people for speeding .

Perhaps ,the only thing that has changed is me driving on the other side of yellow line .........